Low, David (1891 - 1963)

Sir David Low original cartoon artwork.

Born in New Zealand and probably considered the greatest political cartoonist of all time, David Low was first attracted to caricatures and cartoons through reading British comics. He began his career in New Zealand on the Canterbury Times in 1910. Low moved to Australia in 1911 in order to work for the Sydney Bulletin. In 1919, he travelled to England to join the Star, a London evening paper and then in 1927 joined the Evening Standard as its first political cartoonist. The Evening Standard’s proprietor Lord Beaverbrook had had to promise Low a unique contract giving him complete freedom in the selection and treatment of his subject matter as well as half a page for his cartoon in order to secure his services. Low created many memorable characters, including the Two-headed Ass, the TUC carthorse, and Colonel Blimp. Describing himself as ‘a nuisance dedicated to sanity’ Low was a hugely influential cartoonist and caricaturist, producing over 14,000 drawings during the course of his 50 year career. See Low and the Dictators by Timothy S. Benson.